FF7 Rebirth Soars to No. 3 US Chart After Steam Launch

January 2025 proved a relatively quiet month for video game releases, mirroring the typical lull after the holiday season. Only one newcomer, Donkey Kong Country: Returns, managed to crack the top 20, while Call of Duty predictably dominated the charts. However, a surprising comeback story emerged: Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth.

Initially released in February 2024, Rebirth debuted at number two on Circana's US sales charts but subsequently slipped to number seventeen by year's end. While respectable, these figures reportedly fell short of Square Enix's expectations, prompting speculation about the game's performance compared to other 2024 RPG releases like Dragon's Dogma 2. Square Enix's silence on specific sales figures further fueled this speculation.

The game's initial PlayStation 5 exclusivity likely hampered its sales compared to cross-platform titles. However, its January 2025 Steam release dramatically altered its trajectory. The game rocketed to number three on the Circana charts, a significant jump from its December ranking of fifty-six. The Final Fantasy VII: Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack also saw a considerable boost, climbing from number 265 to number sixteen.

Circana analyst Mat Piscatella highlighted the game's "fantastic" Steam launch, noting it was the best-selling game of the week ending January 25th in the US. The Twin Pack also ranked third that week. While these figures are US-specific, they suggest a broader positive impact on global sales. This success raises questions about Square Enix's future cross-platform strategies. Piscatella commented, "Purely looking at consumer response, it was a very good launch month on Steam. This launch does provide yet another benchmark that shows releasing on PC makes a ton of sense at this point regardless of genre or historical release strategies. For 3rd party publishers, it's looking harder and harder to release exclusively on a single platform without significant incentives provided by the platform holder." Square Enix's official stance remains awaited, with their next earnings call in May expected to shed light on their response.

Elsewhere on the charts, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Madden NFL 25 maintained their top positions. The only new entry in the top 20 was Donkey Kong Country: Returns, reaching number eight solely based on physical sales due to Nintendo's non-disclosure of eShop digital sales data. It Takes Two also made a notable return to the top 20, attributed to ongoing promotions and sustained sales throughout January. This promotion likely anticipates the March release of Hazelight Studios' next title, Split Fiction.

January 2025's overall game spending showed a decline compared to the previous year, partially explained by the shorter four-week tracking period compared to 2024's five-week period. Overall spending fell 15% to $4.5 billion, with accessories, content, and hardware spending all experiencing significant year-over-year drops. Despite the downturn, the PS5 remained the best-selling hardware in both units and dollar sales.

The top 20 best-selling games in the U.S. for January 2025 (based on dollar sales):

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
2. Madden NFL 25
3. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
4. EA Sports FC 25
5. Minecraft*
6. Marvel's Spider-Man 2
7. EA Sports College Football 25
8. Donkey Kong Country Returns*
9. Hogwarts Legacy
10. Sonic Generations
11. Helldivers II
12. Astro Bot
13. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
14. Super Mario Party Jamboree*
15. Elden Ring
16. Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack
17. Mario Kart 8*
18. The Crew: Motorfest
19. UFC 5
20. It Takes Two

*Indicates that some or all digital sales are not included in Circana's data. Some publishers, including Nintendo and Take-Two, do not share certain digital data for this report.